Ranking the 10 best footballers in the world right now

Ranking the 10 best footballers in the world right now

The 2026 World Cup was a tournament where the game's true superstars stood up to be counted. Football's biggest names all spent time in the spotlight in North America, so what better time to take stock of who might be the game's top talent?

We've attempted to rank the 10 best footballers in the world right now.

10. Jude Bellingham

It's crazy to think some were suggesting that Jude Bellingham shouldn't be in the England team ahead of the World Cup. Sure, his season at Real Madrid was modest by the standards he's set, but in North America Bellingham showed that the England team should be built around him.

Bellingham is at his best crashing the box, but he puts in the hard yards defensively too. There's, arguably, not a midfielder around who could play six, eight, or ten with such ease. Seven goals this summer made his World Cup the most prolific by an Englishman, ever.

9. Michael Olise

Michael Olise saw off competition from Harry Kane and Luis Diaz to end last season as Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga's Player of the Season.

An incredible campaign saw Olise record 54 goals and assists for the German double winners, all achieved with a swashbuckling nonchalance.

His wand of a left foot then recorded seven assists at the World Cup, breaking a single-tournament record that had stood since Pele's peak.

8. Vinicius Junior

Vinicius Junior has not scaled the same heights that saw him snub the Ballon d'Or over the 'insult' of a second-place finish in 2024, but the Brazilian remains a truly electric talent.

He's recorded 30+ goals and assists in five straight seasons and often comes alive under the Champions League lights. When he gets up a head of steam, there's little full-backs can do to stop him.

7. Ousmane Dembele

Ousmane Dembele earned the Ballon d'Or in 2025 after firing Paris Saint-Germain to treble success under Luis Enrique.

Injuries impacted his campaign last term, but Dembele remained devastating. He was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year for the second straight season, despite starting only 11 games. Dembele produced 27 goals and assists in 22 starts for PSG, the difference-maker for the best club side in the game.

For France, he was equally impactful, with six goals and two assists in eight World Cup games.

6. Rodri

Those who feared Rodri 's best was over following his ACL absence can sleep easier at night now. The midfield metronome of Spain's success this summer, the La Roja captain added another chapter to his storied career.

Rodri has now won the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup, while being named Player of the Tournament in each triumph—one of the greatest defensive midfielders of all time.

5. Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal is not even old enough to buy a drink in the USA, but left there this summer as a World Cup and European Championship winner.

Spain did not see Yamal's best during the tournament, but there's no doubt that he has the potential to become his country's greatest-ever talent. Few, ever, have accomplished what he has as a teenager.

4. Harry Kane

Harry Kane has long been a world-class talent, but his move to Bayern Munich has rubberstamped that status. Just six players have ever scored more goals for the German giants than Kane, who has spent only three seasons in Bavaria.

He's netted 146 times in 147 games, including 61 across all competitions last season. Only Lionel Messi in 2011/12 has ever scored more goals for club and country in a season this century than Kane last term.

3. Erling Haaland

There will be some who sneer that Erling Haaland lacks the aesthetic to rank so highly, but there isn't a footballer on the planet who is so ruthlessly efficient.

Haaland has warped perceptions around goalscoring, ludicrously averaging 1.13 goals per game for Norway after scoring seven times at the World Cup.

He's also scored 57 times in 58 Champions League games, a record better than anyone, ever, in Europe's top club competition. The man is a merciless machine.

2. Kylian Mbappe

The World Cup is football's biggest stage. For Kylian Mbappe , it's been his playground.

The Frenchman made history over the summer, becoming the tournament's record scorer, the first player in 56 years to score 10+ goals in a single edition, and the first-ever two-time Golden Boot winner.

In a star-studded France side, he was the shining light, and Mbappe possesses an electricity that perhaps no other can match.

1. Lionel Messi

Did this summer prove that the little genius is still the best of the best?

Messi's move to MLS had some suggest the Argentine was on the way down, but his performances at the World Cup showed he's still so, so special.

The 39-year-old carried an average Argentina on his back, scoring eight times and assisting four more to reach the final. It was, arguably, an even more impressive tournament than his inspired outings in Qatar, when Argentina sealed their third World Cup title.

Messi is arguably football's greatest-ever goalscorer, dribbler, and creator. His status as the GOAT should no longer be questioned.

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →